Just "secret shopped" Chuck E. Cheese...

[RoyalCanadian]

...please pray for the repose of my digestive system.

I found the link to this programme out here on the Budget Board and also found a link to a coupon for 20 free token. I've submitted the "Secret Agent" report to the mouse.

Suffice to say, I wasn't particularly impressed. The food is, at best, mediocre and -- at worst -- incredibly overpriced. The cashier was unable to explain how the bill for what we ordered magically jumped to nearly $70 and couldn't find the mistake without a supervisor running the order through a second time. Turns out that 2 pizzas cost twice as much as 1 pizza! After getting the bill for a large pizza with two additional toppings, 1 milk, 1 pop, and 1 child's cup I found a whole new respect for what I paid at WDW for our food. Chuck E. Cheese's pricing makes Disney food pricing look like a great value.

The wrong pizza was delivered to our table (despite the numbering system) and sat there for about 10 minutes. Leads me to wonder where our pizza sat for that time.

DD5 enjoyed the gambling inspired games designed to separate parents from their hard earned money in exchange for "prizes" worth a few pennies.

Two young people from my church were working there and earned the green vouchers -- from what I could see the other staff were going about the motions but with little interest in their job.

Oh well -- I guess it could be worse. They could be sending me a guest pass for a free meal at Chuck E. Cheese. Oh -- they are.

 

[dsanner106]

Just curious, do they send you a voucher for a free meal of the same price you laid out for this one, or is it some lower set amount?

Drew

 

[powellrj]

LOL we haven't used ours yet!! Sorry to hear you had such a bad experince. After I signed up for ours my kids informed me they were too old to eat at CEC!!

 

[momm2four]

I did my secret shopping trip today as well. I went there to celebrate my youngest son's birthday. I took my own cake, since we weren't doing the "official" Chuck E Cheese birthday party. One of the managers there was great! He was extremely helpful and very friendly, so at the end of the visit, I gave him a green voucher.

The other three went to: 1) one guy who was working the "official" party next to us. He was so helpful, offering to get their drinks, serving their cake, and most importantly, he was very energetic about dancing the birthday dance with the crowd. he is one I would want if I were actually paying to have a party there. 2)a young girl who stopped to ask if she could help me. I stood in front of the food window for a few minutes, needing a knife to cut our cake with. Several people went by without stopping, but she noticed me, stopped and found out what I needed. Very friendly, very helpful and 3) a young girl who was working the prize counter. She was very patient with my four year old as he stood there and tried to decide what he wanted. very kind.

I do wish I had been given two more b/c there were two more employees who did a great job. I didn't get my food in under ten minutes, but it wasn't the kitchen's fault, b/c I saw my food sitting up on the ledge for several minutes before it was brought to our table. I hope there's a place to note that on the survey.

Anyway, it was well worth it, especially since we were going anyway.

Lori P.

 

[ChrislovesMinnie]

Sure it's somewhat costly but you are paying for the experience.
The pizza's pretty good and the salad bar is very well stocked with fresh salads and tons of choices.
My family and I enjoy our monthly visits there and spend several hours and most importantly, ALWAYS HAVE FUN.
Service and staff have always been great and it is a fun place to go. Sorry your experience wasn't a happy one. Give it another try in a month or so...

 

[RoyalCanadian]

The survey is rather detailed and gives one lots of room to give suggestions, etc.

It does request the amount spent -- so I suspect that will be the approximate value of the certificate.

 

[CarolA]

Having once worked in a mall with a Chuck E Cheese you can't pay me enough to step foot in one!

 

[powellrj]

They send you a card that is good for a large pizza, 4 drinks and so many (I forget how many) tokens. It doesn't matter how much you spend on your first trip, everyone gets the same card at the end.

 

[caribear]

I "secret shopped" at Chuck E Cheese about 3 weeks ago. My stomach did not appreciate it. DD and DH were fine, but I don't think I will be trying the pizza again. My 2 year old dd had a great time and really enjoyed herself though. We received the card for a free large pizza, 4 drinks and 30 tokens about 9 days after I submitted my "report."

 

[pjlla]

Well.... despite my better intentions, we may be doing our "secret shop" next week. But here is a question.... I know that when I signed up there were no openings for a secret shop at my closest CEC... so I searched for another one in the area that needed a secret shop.... but now I cannot remember which one it was and it doesn't say anywhere on my paperwork. What happens if I go to the wrong one? Will I not get my coupon/voucher??....P

 

[Gillian]

Just wondering -- did you sign anything talking about confidentiality? Generally when you mystery shop you aren't supposed to talk about it after. This whole CEC program seems pretty strange. I've never heard of mystery shopping being so out in the open! It's usually a mystery.

If it's a one time thing, I guess it's not a big deal, but if you're going to be doing more shops with them, it might be a good idea not to talk about it. I guess they know who you are now anyway.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

I just got my assignment and will be going next week. I am doing it not for the food - but because my kids love it! I would never recommend CEC for the food, though it isn't that bad - the hot wings are actually pretty good & I love that they offer Mello Yello!

 

[loribell]

Just wanted to add a side note here. One of our local TV staions did an undercover report on the two CEC's here in Oklahoma City. They also showed the Helath Departments reports on them. They both failed miserably and had done so more than once which now that I think about it really does not surprise me. Seems as though they should be doing a whole lot better and being much more careful when their primary guests are children! Just an FYI, you might want to do some checking on the stores in your area before you go again.

Lori

 

[belleandthebeast]

I did the CEC secret shopper too and loved it! Our CEC is fairly new. Although our pizza was not delivered in 10 minutes or less, it was delivered hot and fresh even though the place was packed! I mean really packed. We almost had to wait for a table! I have never, ever had to wait for a table at CEC. The staff were wonderful! Really helpful, very attentive. Made our trip worth it. My niece (she's almost 11 months) loves CEC. She can't play the games (obviously) but she loves the rides in the toddler area and just loves the noises and atmosphere. Keeps her occupied.

We did get our card for our next visit.

 

[csmommy]

Whenever my kids are on break we always spend 1 day at CEC, they love it. I get the salad & bring a coupon good for a pizza with free tokens. There are also coupons out there for buy $5.00 in tokens get $5.00 in tokens free http://www.chuckecheese.com/coupons/graphics/WINTER_05_DM.jpg. At our shoprite you can get 1 token worth 10 tokens for $0.50 at the gumball area & on koolaid 6 pack bottle drinks they have large pizza $9.99 and 10 free tokens these were at WalMart.

Most CEC will accept expired coupons.





http://www.chuckecheese.com/coupons/graphics/coupon_28.gif

http://chuckecheese.com/coupons/coupon20.html

http://www.chuckecheese.com/coupons/graphics/coupon_h.gif

 

[DznyDreams]

How do you become a secret shopper?

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

We did our Secret visit 2 weeks ago and LOVED it! The kids and I felt very mysterious and received excellent service all around, so gave out all of the cards, including the food one.

The kids brought their report cards, so each got 15 free tokens. The report card deal requires a food purchase, so we shared the $1.99+tax french fries and drank water. I also gave them each a 10 free tokens coupon that I got off the Ring Pop packages picked up on clearance at Target.

It only took a few minutes to complete the on-line survey after our visit and yesterday I received the "credit card", which is good for a large pizza, 4 drinks and 30 tokens -- all free. Remember, they only give you 3 days to do the survey after your visit, so don't put it off!

I know, I know, the food stinks and watching the kids play is like watching adults at a casino, plus the prizes are stinky, too, but, honestly, we enjoyed it and still even have a few tokens left.

 

[mickeymel]

just wondering how you found out about secret shopping for chuck e cheese. I used to secret shop for retail stores like Hechts, Macy's, etc, but would much rather do restaurants. I have been unable to connect with reputable shopping agencies successfully.
Thanks!!

 

[powellrj]

How do you become a secret shopper?

They have sign-ups several times a year and usually people will just post a link to the sign -ups. These are different than your usual mystery shops. They will list what sites they have and you check to see if one is open in your area. I think the last time they had sign-ups was back in December. When they open them again, just sign-up and they will mail you the information!

 

[mum4jenn]

Just wondering -- did you sign anything talking about confidentiality? Generally when you mystery shop you aren't supposed to talk about it after. This whole CEC program seems pretty strange. I've never heard of mystery shopping being so out in the open! It's usually a mystery.

If it's a one time thing, I guess it's not a big deal, but if you're going to be doing more shops with them, it might be a good idea not to talk about it. I guess they know who you are now anyway.

It is a one time deal...not a contract shopping thing like with the regular companies.